MSU Game Notes vs. Washington State
11/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MONTANA STATE (0-0/0-0) vs. Washington State (0-0/0-0)
Montana State hits the road to open the 2004-05 season this weekend, looking for its second season-opening win over a Pac 10 foe in three seasons. The task won’t be an easy one, in either contemporary or historical terms, as MSU faces what is expected to be a vastly improved Washington State squad. The ‘Cats haven’t beaten the Cougars since winning at Pullman in 1972-73.
GAME FACTS
TIPOFF 9:05 pm MST
SITE Pullman, WA
ARENA Friel Court
RADIO Bobcat Radio Network
(Kris Atteberry)
TELEVISION no television
HIGHLIGHTS
l Montana State opens the 2004-05 season with four new starters, and only Frank Brown returning
l Mick Durham’s 217 wins is the most in Big Sky history
STREAKS
l Montana State has lost six straight games to Washington State, including three straight in Pullman
l MSU snapped an eight-game losing streak to Pac 10 competition with its season-opening win at Washington in November, 2002
NOTEWORTHY
l Frank Brown is 91 assists from joining the MSU top 10 list in that category
l Nick Dissly hit 39 three-pointers last season, the second-most by a freshman in Bobcat history (after Danny Sprinkle’s 52)
l MSU outrebounded only three of its last 14 opponents last season
l Montana State has won its last two season openers
The Bobcats The Cougars
‘04-05 RECORD 0-0 0-0
Home/Road/Neu 0-0/0-0/0-0 0-0/0-0/0-0
Conf./Record Big Sky/0-0 Pac 10/0-0
HEAD COACH Mick Durham Dick Bennett
Alma Mater MSU/’80 Ripon/’65
Overall/Years 217-183/15th 467-273/27th
At School/Years same 13-16/2nd
vs Opponent vs. WSU: 0-0 vs. MSU: 0-0
Hm/Rd/Neu 0-0/0-0/0-0 0-0/0-0/0-0
SCHOOL INFO
Spirit colors Blue, gold Maroon, silver
Location Bozeman, MT Pullman, WA
Enrollment 12,000 21,000
Arena Worthington Arena(7,000) Friel Court (11,566)
SERIES CAPSULES
MSU vs. Washington State 7-20 (5-7/2-12/1-0)
PROJECTED MSU STARTERS Ht Wt Cl Pt Re A/B/S
F #22-Nick Dissly 6-4 205 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
F #42-Marvin Moss 6-6 230 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
C #55-Al Beye 6-11 210 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
G #11-Frank Brown 6-2 160 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
G #4-Branden Miller 6-1 175 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
BOBCAT RESERVES
#3-Casey Durham 5-11 160 Fr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#5-Dennis Woodall 6-5 225 Sr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#12-Ryan Holmes 6-1 185 Fr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#20-Carson Durr 6-6 200 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
#23-Ja’Ron Jefferson 6-0 180 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#33-Taylor Pratt 6-7 205 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#50-Martrel Johnson 6-5 225 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
#52-Matt Towsley 7-0 255 Sr 0.0 0.0 0.0
*-has used redshirt season +-transferred to MSU
SCOPING THE BOBCATS
Last Time Out
Montana State concluded its exhibition season in successful fashion, topping Calgary 103-55 and Regina 86-47. MSU outrebounded both opponents, and limited each team to below 32% shooting. The Bobcats shot exactly 50% in the two games combined, hitting 53% of its shots in the second game against Calgary.
The Three Company
MSU has hit at least one three-pointer in the last 302 games. From 1986 to late ‘92-93 MSU rolled up 197 straight games with a trey, giving MSU at least one three in 499 of the last 500 games.
The Magic Number
The Bobcats are 104-15 when scoring at least 80 points since ‘93-94.
More Magic
MSU scored 80 points in five straight early-January games last year, a first for the ‘Cats since January 1994.
Mick’s Milestones
Mick Durham carved his name into Big Sky Conference history last year, capturing a pair of records that are likely to stand for a while. Durham’s Bobcats won 14 games, raising his total as MSU’s head coach to 217 wins, the highest total in conference history. His win total includes 103 wins in conference games, also a league best.
Out of the Gates, I
Montana State has started the last two seasons with a victory, last year against Quinnipiac and two years ago at Washington. Before that, MSU had lost two of its previous three season openers. In all, Mick Durham is 11-3 in season openers. He is 1-1 when opening with a true road game, 2-3 when opening away from Bozeman.
Out of the Gates, II
The Bobcats face the most difficult early-season test of Mick Durham’s career this November, and probably the most challenging three-game stretch to start a season since 1986-87, when MSU opened the season with Indiana and Evansville on the road, and Eastern Washington at home. This year’s trio of Washington State, SMU and San Jose State is also comparable to the 1984-85 trio of Eastern Washington, at Minnesota, and at Nebraska. MSU started each of those seasons 1-2.
Shooting Swing
Montana State entered the 2004 conference campaign with the Big Sky’s best shooting percentage. In conference play, the Bobcats shot a league-low 41 percent.
More on Shooting
Montana State shot below 50% from the field in 14 of its last 16 games of the 2004-05 campaign. In six of those games, the Bobcats shot below 40%.
New Guys
Although entering a season with seven new active players -- in fact, Montana State has more new players (seven) on the active roster than returners (six) -- seems extreme, Bobcat coach Mick Durham has some experience in the matter. This is the third time in the last fifth season that MSU has had seven newcomers, although in two of those at least one of the players was a new walk-on without much chance of contributing to the cause.
Watch that Circle
Three-point shooting should be important to MSU’s fortunes this weekend. The Bobcats scored over a quarter of their points from beyond the circle last year, averaging just over six a game. MSU shot 37% from behinid the arc last season.
Montana State hits the road to open the 2004-05 season this weekend, looking for its second season-opening win over a Pac 10 foe in three seasons. The task won’t be an easy one, in either contemporary or historical terms, as MSU faces what is expected to be a vastly improved Washington State squad. The ‘Cats haven’t beaten the Cougars since winning at Pullman in 1972-73.
GAME FACTS
TIPOFF 9:05 pm MST
SITE Pullman, WA
ARENA Friel Court
RADIO Bobcat Radio Network
(Kris Atteberry)
TELEVISION no television
HIGHLIGHTS
l Montana State opens the 2004-05 season with four new starters, and only Frank Brown returning
l Mick Durham’s 217 wins is the most in Big Sky history
STREAKS
l Montana State has lost six straight games to Washington State, including three straight in Pullman
l MSU snapped an eight-game losing streak to Pac 10 competition with its season-opening win at Washington in November, 2002
NOTEWORTHY
l Frank Brown is 91 assists from joining the MSU top 10 list in that category
l Nick Dissly hit 39 three-pointers last season, the second-most by a freshman in Bobcat history (after Danny Sprinkle’s 52)
l MSU outrebounded only three of its last 14 opponents last season
l Montana State has won its last two season openers
The Bobcats The Cougars
‘04-05 RECORD 0-0 0-0
Home/Road/Neu 0-0/0-0/0-0 0-0/0-0/0-0
Conf./Record Big Sky/0-0 Pac 10/0-0
HEAD COACH Mick Durham Dick Bennett
Alma Mater MSU/’80 Ripon/’65
Overall/Years 217-183/15th 467-273/27th
At School/Years same 13-16/2nd
vs Opponent vs. WSU: 0-0 vs. MSU: 0-0
Hm/Rd/Neu 0-0/0-0/0-0 0-0/0-0/0-0
SCHOOL INFO
Spirit colors Blue, gold Maroon, silver
Location Bozeman, MT Pullman, WA
Enrollment 12,000 21,000
Arena Worthington Arena(7,000) Friel Court (11,566)
SERIES CAPSULES
MSU vs. Washington State 7-20 (5-7/2-12/1-0)
PROJECTED MSU STARTERS Ht Wt Cl Pt Re A/B/S
F #22-Nick Dissly 6-4 205 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
F #42-Marvin Moss 6-6 230 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
C #55-Al Beye 6-11 210 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
G #11-Frank Brown 6-2 160 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
G #4-Branden Miller 6-1 175 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
BOBCAT RESERVES
#3-Casey Durham 5-11 160 Fr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#5-Dennis Woodall 6-5 225 Sr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#12-Ryan Holmes 6-1 185 Fr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#20-Carson Durr 6-6 200 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
#23-Ja’Ron Jefferson 6-0 180 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#33-Taylor Pratt 6-7 205 Jr 0.0 0.0 0.0
#50-Martrel Johnson 6-5 225 So 0.0 0.0 0.0
#52-Matt Towsley 7-0 255 Sr 0.0 0.0 0.0
*-has used redshirt season +-transferred to MSU
SCOPING THE BOBCATS
Last Time Out
Montana State concluded its exhibition season in successful fashion, topping Calgary 103-55 and Regina 86-47. MSU outrebounded both opponents, and limited each team to below 32% shooting. The Bobcats shot exactly 50% in the two games combined, hitting 53% of its shots in the second game against Calgary.
The Three Company
MSU has hit at least one three-pointer in the last 302 games. From 1986 to late ‘92-93 MSU rolled up 197 straight games with a trey, giving MSU at least one three in 499 of the last 500 games.
The Magic Number
The Bobcats are 104-15 when scoring at least 80 points since ‘93-94.
More Magic
MSU scored 80 points in five straight early-January games last year, a first for the ‘Cats since January 1994.
Mick’s Milestones
Mick Durham carved his name into Big Sky Conference history last year, capturing a pair of records that are likely to stand for a while. Durham’s Bobcats won 14 games, raising his total as MSU’s head coach to 217 wins, the highest total in conference history. His win total includes 103 wins in conference games, also a league best.
Out of the Gates, I
Montana State has started the last two seasons with a victory, last year against Quinnipiac and two years ago at Washington. Before that, MSU had lost two of its previous three season openers. In all, Mick Durham is 11-3 in season openers. He is 1-1 when opening with a true road game, 2-3 when opening away from Bozeman.
Out of the Gates, II
The Bobcats face the most difficult early-season test of Mick Durham’s career this November, and probably the most challenging three-game stretch to start a season since 1986-87, when MSU opened the season with Indiana and Evansville on the road, and Eastern Washington at home. This year’s trio of Washington State, SMU and San Jose State is also comparable to the 1984-85 trio of Eastern Washington, at Minnesota, and at Nebraska. MSU started each of those seasons 1-2.
Shooting Swing
Montana State entered the 2004 conference campaign with the Big Sky’s best shooting percentage. In conference play, the Bobcats shot a league-low 41 percent.
More on Shooting
Montana State shot below 50% from the field in 14 of its last 16 games of the 2004-05 campaign. In six of those games, the Bobcats shot below 40%.
New Guys
Although entering a season with seven new active players -- in fact, Montana State has more new players (seven) on the active roster than returners (six) -- seems extreme, Bobcat coach Mick Durham has some experience in the matter. This is the third time in the last fifth season that MSU has had seven newcomers, although in two of those at least one of the players was a new walk-on without much chance of contributing to the cause.
Watch that Circle
Three-point shooting should be important to MSU’s fortunes this weekend. The Bobcats scored over a quarter of their points from beyond the circle last year, averaging just over six a game. MSU shot 37% from behinid the arc last season.
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